Summertime Gal: Part Three

On to the last leg of the Summertime Gal post: hair, makeup and accessories! As previously mentioned, going to the beach and pool is not really the best place to be 100% made up. That's why I've been on the hunt for simple and stylish solutions for all your Gal needs. And I've put them all into one post for easy access for you lovely people! So please enjoy!

(Egg June 2010, click the photo to read the rest!)

So I'm going to start this post with hair styles, because we all know hair is a huge part of a Gal's lifestyle. For a lot of us Western Gals, a huge curly head of hair is optimal for our Gal look. But another problem we have from the Summer: humidity and water. The wonderfully warm weather can make curly do's fall flat, and if you get too close to water your perfectly flat ironed hair could go away with the waves. So what's a Gal to do?

GO NATURAL!

And by natural, I mean keep all styling too a minimum. Anything you can hold back on, hold back on it! By working with what happens naturally in your hair, you can achieve an easy style to do over and over again, as many times as you need to.

So if you have naturally curly or wavy hair, leave it be! It's better for your hair anyways. If you've got problems with frizz, use some smoothing product to combat that. If it's something simple like a serum or spray that travels well, it's A-Ok for Summer. 

(Living proof, Wave Shaping, Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Product)

For curly and wavy hair styles, a simple way to add visual interest is to tie your hair back into an interesting style. The braid head band, fluffy braids, braids to pigtails, top buns, there are so many ways to style your hair without having to use styling tools; just your own two hands!

For people with more naturally straight hair, things can be a bit more tough. Even though straight hair styles are becoming more common among Gals, it's still really hard to pull it off. But we can work with this! By adding products that will give your hair some natural wave, you can have semi-straight hair that looks more gal than not. By using a spray or mousse that enhances natural wave, you can have lovely wavy hair that looks gorgeous. 

(Oscar Blandi, Wave Enhancing Spray)

But for primarily straight hairstyles, just putting it up into a ponytail or pigtails will look a little lack luster if it's flat. Braids will still work wonderfully for straight hair, or even just leaving it down and wavy, with a little hand fluffing to give it that extra oomph!

Here's some styles to try for both curly and straight hair!

Fluffy braids are a great hairstyle for the Summer. Easy to do, and keeps your hair off the back of your neck to keep you cool!

Fluffy low pigtails; cute and casual, for both straight and wavy hair.

Doesn't Wei Son have the greatest hair? Two great ways to add braided accents to your hair; the braid headband and the half-up braided "crown". Really simple ways to look great!

Jelly's models really pull off the "messy" wavy style quite well. When using a straight-wavy hairstyle like this, you have to be careful that it doesn't look too messy.

Now that we've got hair basically covered, I want to move on to makeup! Every Gal knows that a pretty heavy dosage of eye makeup is usually key for their look. But recent magazine spreads have shown a lighter eye, which is really new to the scene, and is really nice for Summer time when people tend to get a little bit more lazy.

I also like the lighter style of makeup because it just looks better. I never really liked the "panda-eye" style of eyeliner and eyeshadow, so it's great to be light and fresh for summer.

So the basics for a Summer look would consist of a light base, blusher, lighter eye makeup and eyelashes. I would probably stick to a tinted foundation with SPF for your base in the Summer, especially if it can be reapplied easily. If not, I also recommend using Michelle Phan's IQQU Beauty Sunscreen, because it can actually be applied over makeup without it being smeared.

Next on my list would be a cream blush. I like a cream blush for Summer because it gives you a more dewy and fresh look than a powder form. It can also be easily applied with your fingers, so there's no need to carry around brushes with you!

(Canmake Cream Cheek Blush)

For eyes, play with small pops of colour in your eyeliner. Keep shadow simple and eyeliner clean, and waterproof! Always prime your eyes to keep your eye make up from ending up all over the place. Use a golden or yellow-y colour to highlight instead of white/silver. It will bring more warmth to your face.

A great Summer-y makeup page from PopSister July 2010.

For eyelashes, keep them simple. Opt for top lashes only, or light bottom eyelashes. When going swimming, don't wear eyelashes. Even if you're glue says it's waterproof, you can never be too careful. And if you do plan on wearing lashes to go swimming, don't wear your expensive ones.

Simple neutral makeup from Jelly July 2010.

For lips, keep it playful and comfortable. I highly recommend a lip stain if you're planning on wearing a colour on your lips, since they will not get sticky and will stay very long periods of time, even if you are eating or swimming. For colours, stick to light pinks and corals, other wise nude is always a great fall back option. And don't forget lip balm with SPF! You'll be thanking me when you don't have sunburnt lips.

That's all for my make up tips. Basically you want to keep your look fresh and comfortable, but still gorgeous and Gal.

The last bit of this post will be accessories. I'm not going to go into a whole spiel about what you should wear this Summer, because it's really up to you. But I am going to show you some of my favourite trends and some cute accessories to try!

"Vintage" accessories from SCawaii June 2010. Includes cross jewelery and Cancan/boater hats, as well as big dangly earrings.

Military style caps are very popular this Summer, in a wide range of colours. (WC)

Fringe is still really popular, and a bag like this is an awesome way to do fringe. (Liz Lisa)

Usamimi are still super popular, so get your hands on some for the Summer! They're a really easy way to add some 'oomph' to your hairstyle. (Curvys)

Scarves are huge right now, whether they are worn in the hair, around the neck, on a bag or as a belt, it's great  to have some fun printed scarves in your repertoire for the season. (WC)

Everyone needs a beach bag that they can throw a bathing suit in. This one is perfect. (COCOLULU)

Hair scarves are obscenely popular, and they are a really good way to spice up an other wise boring bun or ponytail! (Chiara)

Big Ethnic bracelets like these are very Summer-y, and a nice way to add some sparkle to simpler outfits. (Duras)

As always, thanks for reading my posts again, and until next time, be well, be tan and be fabulous.